ON THE HUSTINGS.

Thames Star, Volume LIX, Issue 16625, 22 October 1925, Page 5

ON THE HUSTINGS.

SHOTS IN THE CAMPAIGN.

POLITICAL GLEANINGS

FROM CANDIDATES’ SPEECHES.

“If jou think Sir John Luke has a better chance of beating the Labour man then vote for him," said Mr J. J. McGrath, the Independent-Nationalist candidate at Kelburn, Wellington. But if you think I have a better chance, and I believe I have ” A voice: Never on your life! Another voice: Buckley’s! Mr McGrath: Duty demands you to cast your vote in my favour. A voice: Certainly, dear. (Laughter.). Mr McGrath: Tom Young told me that I had settled his man. Herts a pretty good judge—he has been able to keep down a fairiy solid job down there for some years. (Laughter.)

Mr T. K. Sidey, Dunedin South, is one of the old-time Liberals. Throughout his policy speech recently he discarded the word “Nationalist” altogether, and linvuriably referred to his party as the Liberals.

At a recent meeting Mr R. Semple Labour candidate for O.taki, said he had been associated with many strikes in this country in his time. A voice: Too right, you have. » * * *

“A,, dead horse does not get any sweeter through lying about the premises. It. is dead, and the best thing is to get rid of it.”—The Minister for Lands when speaking of money that had been written off in connection with swamp lands.

“I don’t deal in personalities —I don’t want personalities—l have no hesitation iin saying that, with the exception of Mr Downie Stewart, Sir James Parr is the cleverest and shrewdest man on the Reform benches ,to-day. But Mr Holland is a bigger man intellectually, mentally and humanely .than Sir James Parr ever knew how to be!”— Mr F. N. Bar tram, Labour candidate for Grey Lynn.

Critics had told him that the Reform Government was sending New Zealand to the dogs. His reply was that it could safely go to the dogs, provided the dogs of the Dominion were not running with the dingoes of Australia and the wolves of Russia.—Mr S. Oldfield, Government candidate for Auckland West.

Any policy or scheme of society to be a lasting success must and could be built up only by the work of a selfreliant ’and industrious people. There was no short cut to the social millennium, and any plan of society which tended to subvert the principle of selfdependence in the people, was doomed to failure.—Mr J. A. Young, 'Government candidate for Hamilton.

In the course of his address at Makara on Saturday night, Mr Wright drew attention to the movement which had arisen in the North Island for the group herd-testing o'f? dairy stock. It was held by experts that by adopting a scientific system of universal testing and calf marking instead of the average production of butter-fat in New Zealand being about 1701 b per cow within ten years it would be increased to from 250 to 300 ilb per cow, and each 101 b increase in ,the average means an extra £1,000,000 sterling to the Dominion.

Apparently the Labour supporters in the Palmerston electorate are following 1 Mr J. A. Nash, ithe Government candidate, round the country—but not as a bodyguard. A,f Tiritea last week a motor-car load of Labour supporters arrived .from Palmerston North and beseiged Mr Nash wi.th questions. Some days later, Avhen lie was addressing the residents of Kairanga, some miles out, another car-load arrived, but Mr Nash said that he would answer the questions at his meeting in the Opera House. Palmerston North. On a member of the audience saying: “The Labour Patty wiill now retire,” two rose from their seats and left rthe hall. Outside, when the last to leave had arrived, one of .those who had left previously was heard to remark: “Why on earth didn’t you leave when you were told?”

“Thirty-five thousand Crown tenants —or one-third of (the total occupiers of land in the Dominion —that is the family I have to look after.” —The Minister for Lands on Saturday evening.

Who? Who? During a speech at Wellington Mr P. Fraser, M.P., replied to Mr J. J. McGrath’s suggestion that the Labour members, without children, had criticised the Government’s efforts for«the family man. “Who does he mean?” asked Mr Fraser. “It cannot be Mr McKeen. who has a big family: Mr Monteith, who has ten; Mr Semple, who has a grown family: Mr Holland, who has grandchildren? Who. then? I have nothing against Mr McGrath, but I ask him to mention whom he means.” * * * * For New Zealand. “You can have all the Labour organisation you like, and all the Labour speeches, and all the international talk. I am interested in the workers, vand in international problems. I am greatly interested in the peple of New Zealand, and in the workers in particular. While we have men who say they hold out the hand of fellowship and want to tell us how to do things according to certain standards, T think you will admit that we have to manage our own affairs in our own way, and I do not think that these insidious movements are going to do us any good. Some of (those who believe in those ideas call me a Tory. I don't care jvhat they call me, whether it is Tory, Labour or Liberal, or anything else. I can say I am a New Zealander, intensely interested in New Zealand and its people.”—Mr Coatee, at Pukehuia.